I. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to lever-actuated inflation valves for piercing a pressurized cylinder to inflate an object such as a life vest, and more particularly to an interlock for the actuating lever.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Inflatable devices such as life jackets, rafts and the like include an inflation valve which carries a replaceable pressure cylinder such as CO.sub.2 cartridge. Many of these previously known inflation valves include an actuator lever which pivots in response to the pulling of a lanyard or the like in order to drive or permit the forceful release of a piercing pin which penetrates the cartridge. The cartridge is detachably retained adjacent the piercing end of the piercing pin so that it can easily be replaced with a fresh cartridge for subsequent use.
One of the problems of previously known inflation valves is that the actuator lever can often be reset to its stored position after the cartridge has been pierced and discharged. As a result, replacement of the discharged cartridge may be inadvertently overlooked and thus render the device inoperable even when it appears to be prepared for actuation.
Another known problem is that the replacement of the discharged cartridge with a fresh cartridge is not sufficient to insure that the inflation valve is prepared for actuation. In particular, previously known inflation valves permit the replacement of the cartridge without assuring that the actuation lever has been reset. Failure to reset the actuation lever will not permit the fresh cartridge to be punctured by the piercing pin to actuate the device even though a fresh cartridge has been installed.
Another problem of previously known inflation valves is that the actuating lever is relatively small and is shielded by adjacent portions of the valve body. As a result, it may be difficult to determine whether the actuating lever has been moved to actate the device. This problem is further aggravated if the inflation valve and the cartridges are encased in a protective housing. The previously known valve actuator mechanisms do not include any indication of device actuation.
In addition, actuation of prior actuating levers was accompanied by displacement and loss of the device for detentively retaining the lever in stored position. For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,416,393 and 4,524,885, the lever may be retained in position by a U-shaped clamp having projections engaged within recesses of the body on opposite sides of the lever. A lanyard having a handle at one end and secured at its other end to the end of the actuator lever is pulled and the lever retainer clip is separated from the lever and can be lost when disengaged from the valve body.
Some previously known inflation valves in which the piercing pin is engaged by an actuating lever have included vent passageways communicating between the inflatable chamber and the atmosphere so that environmental pressure changes can be accommodated. For example, partial inflation of a life vest worn by high altitude fliers could interfere with necessary movements by a flier. However, the vents must be closed when the chamber is to be inflated by the pressure cartridge. Accordingly, it has been known to employ surfaces of the actuator lever adjacent the piercing pin engagement surface to position a seal on the piercing pin at a position which seals the vents and prevents leakage of the air passage between the cylinder and the inflatable chamber once penetration has occurred. U.S. Pat. No. 3,248,010 to DeBoer and U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,665 to Cauley disclose vented inflation valves in which the actuation lever cooperates with the pin to position a seal for the vents. However, these patents do not teach that such levers can be reset, and they do not address the problem of premature latching, i.e. latching before the spent cartridge is removed.